


One Hell Of A Day

by klutzy_girl



Category: This Is Us (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Gen, Phone Calls & Telephones, Post-Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23330863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klutzy_girl/pseuds/klutzy_girl
Summary: Set postStrangers: Part Two. Kevin's spiraling after Madison's bombshell and his fight with Randall so he calls Nicky.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	One Hell Of A Day

The guilt wouldn’t go away no matter how much Kevin wanted to and it was intermixed with the panic about impending fatherhood (to twins!) so he wasn’t doing so hot. So he whipped out his phone and called Nicky. “Is this about your one year anniversary again?” his uncle asked.

“No. Fuck,” Kevin breathed.

Concerned, Nicky bit his lip. “You okay, kid?”

“Not really,” Kevin admitted. “Give me a minute to work up to this.”

“Sure.” Even more worried, Nicky waited about five minutes in silence for his nephew to speak again.

“I had a huge fight with Randall - we got into it and I said some shit I didn’t mean but I think we really fucked up this time.” Kevin refrained from admitting he worried that his brother hated him, aware that it was probably irrational. 

“Whatever happened, I’m sure it’s fixable. And you don’t want to let it go on too long, otherwise you’ll end up like me and Jack,” Nicky pointed out. 

Kevin’s breath hitched. “You’re probably going to laugh at this next part.”

“What could I possibly laugh about?” Nicky genuinely wondered what his nephew could possibly have in store for him that was so funny. 

“I slept with Kate’s best friend a while back - I was sad, she was lonely - and now she’s pregnant. We’re basically strangers and now we’re going to be parents.” Kevin blew out a breath, trying to hold in the sobs and wishing he had a drink. Today had been a lot and talking with his uncle was helping him a bit.

Sure enough, Nicky cracked up. “Sorry, kid, but I’m genuinely shocked a surprise pregnancy didn’t happen to you sooner. How are you handling it?”

Kevin sniffled and wiped the tears off his face. “There’s more so brace yourself - it’s twins.”

Nicky began howling, and Kevin let him laugh for a few minutes to get it out of his system. “Only you, Kevin. Only you. But I’m guessing these two incidents are colliding in your mind right now and you’re having a slight meltdown?” he correctly deduced.

“A little bit.” He was so angry at Randall he could barely think straight but the guilt was still overwhelming him, and he didn’t know what his next step was with Madison. He did plan to go with her to her next doctor’s appointment, though. The thought of telling Kate was terrifying, however, and he worried that he would disappoint her and his mother. He doubted he could fuck up any more with Randall - he was likely proving his brother right.

“You’re overthinking this, right? Just take a deep breath and call your sponsor - I’m sure you need to speak with them. But you still have months to go before those babies get here, don’t you?” Nicky knew he needed to be Kevin’s rock right now, which was definitely a role reversal, but he could handle it.

Kevin inhaled and exhaled a few times, trying desperately to stop crying. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he admitted. He felt like he was overreacting and drowning at the same time.

“Nothing’s wrong with you, Kevin - you’ve just been through a lot today,” Nicky reasoned with him. 

Kevin’s voice cracked as he spoke again to thank his uncle for helping him through his massive freak-out. “I really appreciate it.”

“You’ll return the favor if I need any help. Call your sponsor and map out a plan with that girl you knocked up. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about.”

“You’re not going to tell me I fucked up?” Nicky didn’t even know the extent of his fight with Randall.

“Kid, you’re already beating yourself up over it - why would I pile on?” They said their goodbyes and hung up.

Kevin set aside five minutes just so he could cry and when that time was up, he pulled himself together and called his sponsor before heading out to a meeting because he desperately needed to go. 

He had a lot to deal with in the upcoming months, and Kevin didn’t want to keep falling apart - he couldn’t afford it. He needed to be strong for Madison and the babies, something he still had a hard time comprehending. He needed to be there for his mom and support her, even though he was still upset about Randall pushing her to go. Kevin planned to be their rock and help them out any way he could, even if he had to lean on Nicky for an occasional pep talk.


End file.
